Science
press releases.

Science23 Apr 2025

Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) 47th Annual Meeting

The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) continues its legacy as a premier organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of chemosensory systems. Over the past four decades, AChemS has been instrumental in fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration in the fields of taste, smell, and chemical senses. Through its annual meetings, publications, and networking opportunities, AChemS provides a platform for scientists, clinicians, and industry professionals to exchange ideas, present cutting-edge research findings, and address pressing challenges in chemoreception. The 47th Annual AChemS Conference is set to take place from April 23rd to 26th, 2025, at ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Hotter temps trigger wetlands to emit more methane as microbes struggle to keep up

Rising temperatures could tip the scale in an underground battle that has raged for millennia. In the soils of Earth’s wetlands, microbes are fighting to both produce and consume the powerful greenhouse gas methane. But if the Earth gets too hot, a key way wetlands clamp down on methane could be at risk, according to a Smithsonian study published April 23. Methane is responsible for roughly 19% of global warming, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. And while wetlands are champions at removing carbon dioxide (CO2)—the more abundant greenhouse gas—they are ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Researchers identify pathway responsible for calciphylaxis, a rare and serious condition

“Our discovery has found a possible treatment that could specifically target and help patients with this disease” (Boston)—The global burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising, with more than 800 million people affected worldwide. Vascular diseases in patients with CKD are unique and grouped as uremic vascular diseases. One of them, calciphylaxis, typically affects patients with end-stage, advanced kidney disease. It is a condition characterized by severe, painful and non-healing skin ulcers with no known cure. For the first time, researchers from Boston University Chobanian ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

FRESH bioprinting brings vascularized tissue one step closer

Collagen is well-known as an important component of our skin, but its impact is much greater, as it is the most abundant protein in the body, providing structure and support to nearly all tissues and organs. Using their novel Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH) 3D bioprinting technique, which allows for the printing of soft living cells and tissues, Carnegie Mellon’s Feinberg lab has built a first-of-its-kind microphysiologic system, or tissue model, entirely out of collagen. This advancement expands the capabilities of how researchers can study disease and build tissues for therapy, ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Chinese scientists prove swamp forest collapse linked to human activity

Chinese scientists have discovered that fragile swamp forests in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region suddenly collapsed around 2.1 thousand years ago (ka)—with human activity as the cause. The study, led by researchers from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry and the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, sheds new light on the role of human activity in ecosystem collapse. Published in Science Advances, the study focuses on Glyptostrobus pensilis (G. pensilis), a critically endangered species of Chinese swamp cypress that once thrived in extensive swamp forests in the PRD. Through palynological (i.e., pollen and ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Severe, lasting impairment that some consider ‘worse than death’ affects many residents after long-term care admission

Ottawa, ON, April 23, 2025 – 20% of residents newly admitted to long-term care became permanently unable to make everyday decisions for themselves within five years, according to new research from Bruyère Health Research Institute and ICES. A significant number of long-term care (LTC) residents experience states of severe cognitive and physical impairment, leaving them unable to make personal decisions—like what to eat or what to wear—and unable to communicate with staff or loved ones. “Our study set out to trace the experiences of residents newly admitted to long-term care, and ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Remembering the cold: scientists discover how memories control metabolism

New multidisciplinary research led by Prof. Tomás Ryan from Trinity College Dublin shows that the brain forms memories of cold experiences and uses them to control our metabolism. This newly published study is the first to show that cold memories form in the brain – and map out how they subsequently drive thermoregulation. The discovery may have important applications in therapies designed to treat a range of disorders – from obesity to cancer – in which thermoregulation and metabolism (or a lack of control in this area) plays a role, as ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Mathematician and biochemist win transdisciplinary research prize

The Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs) Modelling and Life and Health at the University of Bonn have presented their €100,000 research prize, entitled “Modelling for Life and Health,” for the second time. The winners—Argelander Professor Ana Ivonne Vazquez-Armendariz and Schlegel Professor Jan Hasenauer—will be using their prize money to study the functions of “scavenger cells” in the lungs at the interface between mathematics and medicine. The lung’s very own scavenger cells, known as alveolar macrophages, ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Toxic blooms in motion: Researchers map algae patterns in Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee, Florida’s largest freshwater lake, plays a vital role in the state’s ecosystem and water management. Spanning 730 square miles with an average depth of just 9 feet, it serves as a crucial water source for agriculture and flood control. Connected to the Everglades through canals, it’s also a popular destination for fishing, boating and birdwatching. However, the lake faces increasing harmful cyanobacteria blooms, particularly from the toxin-producing species Microcystis aeruginosa. These microscopic algae thrive in warm, nutrient-rich waters and can form harmful algal blooms. Known for their diel (daily) vertical migration, cyanobacteria move up ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Some protective resin coatings may damage metal artifacts

Conservators and museum technicians protect precious archaeological metal objects, such as tools and weapons, with clear coatings, leaving preserved and unobstructed views of these detailed treasures. However, researchers have reported in ACS Central Science that some of the resins used for these coatings react with iron-containing metals and can cause damage. The team developed a non-invasive fluorescence imaging strategy that reveals early signs of these damaging chemical reactions and confirmed its utility on ancient artifacts. Polymer coatings, including acrylic resins, are commonly used to protect metal artifacts from ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Therapist in your pocket

Kyoto, Japan -- Smartphones may often feel like a source of stress, feeding us an endless stream of bad news and social comparison. But what if they could also be the solution? A team of researchers from Kyoto University believes they can be. The team has developed a smartphone app that delivers core techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)—a proven treatment for depression and anxiety—straight into the hands of users, and tested it in the largest-ever individually randomized trial of its kind. Their ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

The antisemitic wave is calming – yet levels remained significantly higher than before the war

The Report: Contrary to common perceptions, the peak in global anti-Jewish hatred was immediately after the October 7 attack, and not as the war progressed. A particularly alarming rise was recorded in Australia. Increases were also observed in the United States, Italy, Spain, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil. According to the Report, only a negligible percentage of complaints regarding antisemitic hate crimes have led to arrests and indictments; “Education and legislation without enforcement are meaningless”. On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the Irwin Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

How do parental leave policies affect mothers’ decisions to become entrepreneurs?

Research published in the Journal of Management Studies provides new insights on how parental leave policies, involving their time and money components, might affect whether mothers start a new business. Contrary to the common belief that generous parental leave discourages entrepreneurship, the study finds that offering more time off through parental leave can promote mothers’ entrepreneurship. In two complementary studies, the researchers found that the duration of parental leave—yet not the amount of money paid—seems to shape mothers’ entrepreneurial activity. ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Do traumatic events predict eating disorders among Palestinians?

Results from a study published in Brain and Behavior suggest that traumatic events may contribute to the development of eating disorders among Palestinians. Also, certain sociodemographic factors—such as educational level, gender, region, and age—were linked to a greater likelihood of experiencing eating disorders. In the study of 580 adults, including 320 males and 260 females, who were recruited online, individuals who reported living through traumatic events were more likely to experience restraint eating, eating concern, weight ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

People turn to conspiracy theories in a subconscious quest to feel like they ‘matter’, research suggests

While all people are innately driven to find meaning in their lives, this subconscious desire pulls some people to conspiracy theories and dangerous belief systems. After an extensive review of psychological research, renowned social psychologist Arie Kruglanski and journalist Dan Raviv show how people’s need for ‘significance’ propels our actions, governs our feelings, and dominates our thoughts in their new book The Quest for Significance. “Experts on human motivation contend that all people share the same set of basic needs, and everything people do, try to attain, or avoid is in the service of satisfying one or more of those basic needs,” ...

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Science23 Apr 2025

Alliance presents project cure CRC poster sessions at AACR Annual Meeting & awards new grants to accelerate progress

At a time when cancer research is experiencing uncertainty and setbacks, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance) is strengthening its commitment to its Project Cure CRC initiative because tomorrow can’t wait. Project Cure CRC funds cutting-edge colorectal cancer (CRC) research and aims to improve patient outcomes through its dynamic patient navigation portal, BlueHQ.org. As the leading nonprofit dedicated to ending the disease, the Alliance awarded three new grants from Project Cure CRC and is presenting two poster sessions at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025, April 25-30, in Chicago, IL. To date, the total Project Cure ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

TOS statement on oral GLP-1s

ROCKVILLE, MD-Advances in evidence-based obesity medications and treatment options are critical for the millions of individuals living with the chronic disease. The Obesity Society is encouraged by the development of new options that are effective, safe, and convenient for consumers. Last week, results released for the ACHIEVE-1 Phase 3 clinical trial suggest that a new medication, Orforglipron, an oral small molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, taken once daily led to an average weight loss of 7.9% in individuals with diabetes and ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

New research points out a promising strategy for treating metastatic medulloblastoma

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and collaborating institutions reveal in Nature Cell Biology a strategy that helps medulloblastoma, the most prevalent malignant brain tumor in children, spread and grow on the leptomeninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. They discovered a novel line of communication between metastatic medulloblastoma and leptomeningeal fibroblasts that mediates recruitment and reprogramming of the latter to support tumor growth. The findings suggest that disrupting this communication offers a potential opportunity to treat this devastating ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

Light fields with extraordinary structure: plasmonic skyrmion bags

“Our results add another chapter to the emerging field of skyrmion research,” proclaims Prof. Harald Giessen, head of the Fourth Physics Institute at the University of Stuttgart, whose group achieved this breakthrough. The team demonstrated the existence of “skyrmion bags” of light on the surface of a metal layer. A better understanding of physical phenomena Skyrmions are a mathematical description of vortex-like structures that help researchers better understand fundamental physical relationships. In recent years, this theoretical ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

Listening to an avatar makes you more likely to gamble

Expecting feedback from an avatar compared to a real human facilitates risk-taking behavior in a gambling task, and a brain region called the amygdala is central to this facilitation, according to a study published April 22nd in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Toshiko Tanaka and Masahiko Haruno from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan. In virtual-reality environments, individuals can adopt various forms of avatars, projecting their behaviors into a virtual realm where their interaction partners also appear as avatars. With this shift in ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

Facial expressions of avatars promote risky decision-making

Highlights - Humans take more risks when interacting with facial expressions shown on avatars rather than real human faces. - This shift in risk-taking behavior is linked to activity in the amygdala. - The findings offer new insights into both the advantages and the cautionary aspects of communication via avatars. Abstract A research team led by Dr. TANAKA Toshiko and Dr. HARUNO Masahiko at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, President: TOKUDA Hideyuki Ph.D.), investigated how avatar-mediated communication affects human decision-making. They ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

Listeners use gestures to predict upcoming words

In face-to-face conversations, speakers use hand movements to signal meaning. But do listeners actually use these gestures to predict what someone might say next? In a study using virtual avatars, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and Radboud University in Nijmegen show that listeners used the avatar’s gestures to predict upcoming speech. Both behavioural and EEG data indicated that hand gestures facilitate language processing, illustrating the multimodal nature of human communication. People might wiggle their fingers when they talk about typing, depicting a ‘typing’ movement. Seeing meaningful hand movements—also called iconic gestures—helps ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

A ‘dopamine detox’ is too simplistic, new study finds

Dopamine signals in different parts of the brain rise and fall in complex patterns as animals learn to avoid danger Findings shed light on why the ‘dopamine detox’ trend is too simplistic First study to track how dopamine signals evolve over time The findings may help explain how dopamine signaling contributes to excessive avoidance in disorders like in anxiety and OCD, where individuals overestimate danger CHICAGO --- Dopamine is the brain’s motivational spark, driving us to chase what feels good, say scrolling another reel on social ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

JMIR Aging launches new section focused on advance care planning for older adults

(TORONTO, April 22, 2025) JMIR Aging, a leading open access journal focused on digital health and aging, announced the launch of a new dedicated section on “Advance Care Planning for Older Adults.” This timely addition will provide a crucial platform for cutting-edge research examining how digital health tools can empower older adults in making informed decisions about their future health care needs and actively involve their caregivers in this vital process. This new section will delve into the innovative ways technology can support personalized ...

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Science22 Apr 2025

Oil cleanup agents do not impede natural biodegradation

Highlights: Biodegradation is an important natural process during oil spill cleanup. A new study revealed that using spill treating agents does not negatively impact naturally occurring biodegradation. Washington, D.C.—Using spill treating agents to clean up oil spills does not significantly hinder naturally occurring oil biodegradation, according to a new study. The study, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, provides information that will be useful in future oil ...

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